Klacha Por'sen by WikedFae
IF YOU AUTOMATICALLY CLICKED ON THIS CHAPTER FROM THE PROLOGUE, 2 CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN ADDED TODAY! PLEASE GO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER OR THIS MAY NOT MAKE SENSE!
Chapter Eleven: Delicate Dance (Part 2)
He felt wrong-footed. There was no other explanation for it. Each moment since he'd seen her in that holodeck and watched her retreating figure, his human side felt off-kilter. Something in that meeting had been wrong. While his Vulcan side had admired her ability to reign in her shock, which she'd undoubtedly felt, his human half had been disconcerted. It had been as if she were a shadow of her former self. If this subdued form had been transient and a direct response to his sudden appearance, he might have comprehended it; but as the days passed, Spock became aware this was more than a temporary and fleeting state. She truly was a shade. Though he could see she interacted well with the crew and completed her assignments admirably, there was something missing—a spark that had always intrigued him seemed to have been extinguished. It was as if she'd almost become part Vulcan…but how that was possible, Spock was at a loss to explain. The thought her behavior was linked to him became more persistent, however much it irked and disconcerted him. If he were honest with himself, he'd secretly imagined she would have taken his blunt and unelaborated reasons and followed his unsubstantiated advice…he supposed now, he knew why the term was 'imagined'. His own logic and understanding of her character chimed in, echoing in mocking triumph: reason and subsequent evidence pointed to the contrary scenario.
His compulsory visit to Sick-Bay and inevitable meeting with Dr. McCoy cemented his concerns. The cool greeting alone sufficed to solidify his suscpicions.
"Well, well, well. Commander, back aboard, I see," McCoy had started off saying.
"Yes, although I don't doubt my return is news to you," Spock countered.
"No, you're right about that. Had a lovely conversation with your ex about this new development. But I take it you're here to schedule the mandatory physical and not discuss Uhura."
"Yes, however, if you had a moment, I would like to ask a few questions regarding…my ex, as you put it."
"Sure I have a moment. The question is, do I have the inclination to answer? I can schedule you for a physical tomorrow morning between 0800 and 0930, by the way," he continued, undeterred.
"That time would be satisfactory. Would you also be inclined to answer my questions then?"
"Are you out of your Vulcan mind? Chit-chat during a physical? You must have gotten too much sand in your head before leaving that colony if you ever thought I'd let something like that fly."
"Then are you inclined to answer them now?" Spock felt a brief flare of irritation at the runaround.
McCoy seemed to size him up for a moment before continuing, "What do you want to know?"
"Lieutenant Uhura…when I encountered her in the holodeck, she seemed…unusually restrained."
"Unusually restrained? Maybe to you, but she's been like that for years."
"Years?"
"After you left, she wandered around like a zombie for a couple months, took a sabbatical, came back and has been that way ever since. I was gone for part of that myself, so what happened during that year is a mystery to me. I'm lucky she talks to me as much as she does. We—as a crew—have taken it in stride. It's just the way she is now." His tone was clipped.
"A sabbatical? Where?"
"Betazed. She came back like that. No one could figure it out, she was less than forthcoming with information. The only thing I know is that she started using the holodeck more…and I suspect it got more use the more she held back."
"And no one questioned this behavior or became concerned?"
Veiled anger tinted McCoy's voice, "There were those select members of the crew, including myself, who did become very concerned. We did what we could. Respected her privacy. Stuck by her side instead of wandering off."
Spock realized he was treading on dangerous ground and it would behoove him to break the line of questioning sooner rather than later. "I see. Well, thank you for the information. It's been most enlightening."
"I'm sure it has been," McCoy muttered.
"I'll return tomorrow morning then. Excuse me," Spock said as he made to depart, "I need to report to the bridge."
"Yeah…" McCoy uttered as the doors of Sick-Bay started sliding shut.
Still mulling the conversation over in his mind, Spock exited the lift onto the bridge to find the captain in communication with Starfleet Command and his place at the science station unoccupied. Kirk looked up and acknowledged his presence, then promptly waved him over, indicating he should take a seat and return to those duties he'd left all those years ago. Dutifully, he took up his post while his mind continued to churn. Peripherally, he noticed the comings and goings of the crew but soon the numerous readings he was monitoring sufficiently distracted him until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he met the gaze of Kirk who quietly demanded, "A moment, Commander."
Rising, Spock noticed another crewmember had taken her place on the bridge, but he did not attempt to catch Uhura's eye as he crossed to enter the captain's office.
"So, welcome back," Kirk said after a perfunctory pause, once the door had shut.
"Thank you."
"Well…" Kirk said with an air of distracted enthusiasm. He continued, seriously, "You know, Spock, normally I don't do this so soon after a crewmember comes aboard…but if you ever place me in the position between you and a certain lieutenant again, so help me, I will have you removed from duty faster than you can say sahaisaya, do I make myself clear? And yes, I looked up the term."
"Sir?"
"This wonderful position of authority I hold also means other people get their toes stepped on if I'm placed in a precarious position. Don't let it happen again. Here I thought you'd actually gotten in touch with those emotions you bury in that bomb-shelter of 'Vulcanism' and contacted Uhura before returning to duty. I wasn't too pleased turning her away after she demanded a meeting with me regarding a 'breakdown in communication'. You know Starfleet regulation inside and out—along with the stipulation that crew assignments be confidential to those higher in command."
"Yes, I was fully aware of that condition and assumed no breach of confidentiality had occurred, hence why I endeavored to find Lieutenant Uhura shortly after arriving."
"See, that right there, is why you'll never have a girlfriend. And why Uhura has been out of sorts since you got back." Kirk gesticulated accusingly as he sat down behind his desk.
"Dr. McCoy answered some questions of mine as to Lieutenant Uhura's behavior earlier."
"Oh, so he did tell you why she's pent up tighter than a Kryonian tiger ready to spring?"
"He did not explain why, merely that this behavior is not recent."
"Not recent is a bit of an understatement when it's gone on for—"
"Five years," Spock finished.
"Yeah…" Kirk sighed. "So where'd you track her down?"
"I found her in the holodeck. A most fascinating program in itself."
Kirk shot him a look that said he didn't give a damn about how fascinating the program was. However, he chose not to comment and remarked, "Yeah, she tends to escape there every once in a while."
"Escape?"
"That's what I call it. Do I know what she does in there? No. Maybe you should ask her."
"I do not believe she is willing to speak to me regarding the matter."
"No? I wonder why," Kirk said sarcastically. "I'm meeting with her tomorrow morning considering you gave her quite the shock showing up out of the blue. But after that, I strongly suggest you figure out a way to make it work. I don't care how, just as long as the functioning of this ship is not disrupted."
Internally, Spock was a bit shocked himself at the sudden turnaround he perceived in the captain. Kirk had certainly matured as much as Nyota had changed. Externally, he nodded his understanding before being dismissed.
But just as Kirk had had no advice as how best to approach the strained situation, Spock was at a similar loss. Temporarily, he settled for acknowledging the problem, but not actively seeking to solve it. Each time he saw Nyota, he was sure he had found a good way to approach her, only to realize moments later that the premise he'd concocted was such a weak façade, it would never serve. And so it went for days. It wasn't until five days later that he saw an opportunity. After having nearly collided with Nyota in the turbolift, he'd had to answer some uncomfortable questions from the captain. After admitting he had still not found a way to speak with her, he desperately sought for a new line of conversation. Inquiring about news from the previous shift, Kirk regarded him briefly before speaking, all the while a strange gleam in his eyes.
"Just got news from Romulus. More Reman separatist uprisings…this time they included pictographs. Don't know if we should bother decoding them or not, but we relayed the message on to Starfleet Command. I know Uhura has a copy with her."
Spock's eyes widened marginally as he realized what Kirk was up to. Thanking him for the update, he returned to his station, convinced he now had a way in. As he sat down, he heard Kirk mutter, "They all just need a good kick in the ass."
-OOO-
The Next Day:
His mouth was dry. It was the only sign his body gave that he was apprehensive as he stared at the unforgiving holodeck doors. His hand hovered over the access panel, not quite touching it, almost as if it feared what would happen when the tactile sensors would activate the entry mechanism. But rationality won out, arguing the uncertainty draped over both their shoulders needed to disappear if any progress were to be made. And so, with his heart plummeting even further into his abdomen, he pressed the last button. The sight that greeted him was one for which he was wholly unprepared.
Nyota stood in a dimly lit hall, accompanied by a figure, stepping gracefully from side to side, moving as if in a trance. Each motion was calculated, measured, and beautifully executed, and Spock found himself at a loss for words. Unfortunately, the scene she set ended too quickly, as the whoosh of the doors alerted her to an unwanted presence. Tentatively, Spock entered the room, watching for any complaint on her part. Seeing none, he cautiously approached in a manner reminiscent of his last visit to this room.
"Commander."
"Lieutenant. I was told I might find you here."
"Really? By whom? The computer?" she quipped.
"No, Dr. McCoy and Captain Kirk, more precisely. Although, had they not informed me you frequently make use of the holodeck, we may have still encountered one another here. It is a marvelous feat of technology—one I would be interested to learn more about." This seemed to be a safe topic of conversation, he thought.
"You would have to ask Scotty about it; I only know how to use the program, not how it works," she deflected. Undeterred, Spock pressed on.
"Regardless, you seem to have extensive experience. I am curious, what were you doing when I interrupted?"
A sigh tinted with exasperation escaped her lips, but she capitulated. "It was a modified version of T'ai Chi." It seemed she would not give up easily, so he persisted.
"Modified in what way?"
Quietly, she said, "I added in specific Suus mahna movements to increase range of motion and set varying tempos into my routine."
"I thought some movements looked familiar. Though I must admit, I did not expect you to have remembered what little we had worked on back at the Academy."
"Oh," she said as she straightened her posture. "I get the feeling you would be surprised by how much I remember."
Intrigued, Spock temporarily abandoned his intended conversation tactic, accepted her unspoken challenge and said, "And if I were to step here…and raise my elbow so…"
"I would side-step here, turn, and block," she countered, matching the movements.
"And if I jab and duck…"
"I swing, twist, follow through, and attack from above," she finished.
Impressed, he tested her knowledge further but gave no warning to his motion. Deftly, she blocked and met his challenge with one of her own. Her ingenuity peaked his curiosity even more and slowly but surely, they began sparring, using every technique in the beginner's repertoire. He would step to the left, she would counter to the right, bending nimbly away from his already accelerating swing while he would have just enough time to rebound and block from his missed attack. Occasionally, Spock incorporated an apprentice level technique to assess how much she had retained from her early days of training. A brief slide to circle around her and a light shoved caused her to overbalance, forcing her to tuck into a roll, successfully foiling her planned attack. But when he realized that some of his attacks hit true to their mark as her defenses broke under them, he began to use them less frequently. While he held himself back, he was amazed how many times they still reached a stale-mate, only to begin seconds later with renewed motivation and imaginative performances.
And there, in the depths of her eyes, Spock could see the spark flare back to life, as if it had never left and was only choosing now to reveal its presence. In the glory of the moment, skin shining from exertion, Nyota seemed to have come back and he savored the possibility that all was not lost—that somehow this storm would be weathered by them both. A grim, determined grin settled on her mouth and it reminded him of those evenings so long ago when they would playfully spar in the athletic halls, how she would watch his every move, meticulously taking notes, learning what he had to teach. There, in that onslaught of fists, kicks, twists, turns, slides and leaps, there was hope and redemption. At least, so it seemed. Their breathing was quick, labored in time with one another; they showed no signs of slowing. How long the sparring lasted was impossible to tell, but eventually both began to slip, exhaustion began to take its toll. Before either of them miscalculated a punch and seriously injured the other, Spock called an end to the fight, quickly retreating and bowing respectfully.
"Your skills have remained intact. I commend you on that," he said.
She shifted her weight and rolled back her shoulders, visibly trying to come down from the rush of adrenaline. She did not acknowledge his compliment and they fell into an uneasy silence.
After a few moments of awkward staring, Spock remembered his initial motivations for approaching her and said, "I have a small confession to make."
"A confession?" she asked, her breathing shallow and her stance wary.
"Yes. While the holodeck is indeed fascinating, it was not my purpose for coming here."
Her eyes glittered apprehensively. "Then what was your reason?"
"Captain Kirk informed me you had intercepted some Reman pictographs you had difficulty deciphering. I came to offer my services if you would like help translating them," Spock said, hoping she would recognize his proffered olive branch. What he did not notice was the dim fire in her eyes that suddenly flared back to life as her breathing became ragged. By the time he became aware that she was no longer in control, it was too late. Her countenance was one of sudden outrage, pulsing with indignation…the caged beast set free. He tried to discern where Nyota had disappeared to in this blaze of anger and came to the frightening conclusion that she had not disappeared at all. This was the place her emotions had been relegated to and what he was witnessing was her pressure release.
"That's your confession?" she said, her voice rising. "No admission," She advanced on him. "No apology," A complex tight-tuck roll around him. "Only an offer…" He felt her left hand reach to his right shoulder and roughly spin him around, placing her right palm flat against his sternum and pushing. "Of help?" In a flash, she'd hooked her leg behind his right knee and jerked it back, characteristic of an obscure branch of the art. Startled, he could only reach for her outstretched hand as he fell. But her leg was still trapped beneath his and she fell into a kneeling position beside him, smoldering embers dancing in her irises. Her grip on his hand tightened as she pinned his arm to the ground and bent down to whisper, "Why would I accept help from someone who would only disappear?"
That was when his world exploded.
A/N: o_O Dun-dun-DUUUNNNNNN! While you got two chapters, it came with the stipulation of a slight cliffie. But there we have it: a confrontation at last! While it might not have been what some of you were looking for, it is what it is. I would like to beg each and every one of my readers not to draw conclusions as to Nyota's emotional nature (e.g. that she is permanently inclined to be vindictive)! I can only hope you hang on until the next installment.
Oh, almost forgot: English translation: sahaisaya : expulsion